THREE employees from npower’s Swindon offices joined around 50 colleagues from across England to complete a 21-mile row for Macmillan Cancer Support.

The activity was part of a 2014 company-wide campaign that challenges employees to raise £150,000 for the charity, which the energy supplier pledges to match pound for pound.

The Swindon employees – Clare McDougall, Hayden Fry and Tom Eckersley – were motivated to row the length and back of Windermere Lake after hearing about the campaign, which offers 10 challenges to mark 10 years of working with Macmillan. Teams of four completed the row in seven hours, in old-fashioned wooden boats.

Hayden Fry, a financial analyst at npower, said: “It was very tough, but the group I was with helped push each other to the finish line. This challenge is important to me as I’ve known a few people affected by cancer, and I know how Macmillan has supported them and their families through difficult times.”

The row comes fifth out of 10 events that staff across the UK will be doing to help raise the impressive target this year – and npower’s pound for pound scheme will see the group’s funds doubled to over £21,000.

Clare McDougall, the firm’s head of community, said: “Macmillan is a wonderful charity and our 10- year partnership is something we’re very proud of. The enthusiasm with which people from across npower have engaged with this year’s fundraising campaign proves how much they care about this partnership.”

The campaign, otherwise known as ‘10 for 10’, aims to support people affected by cancer who are struggling to pay their energy bills. Often, cancer and its treatments can result in people feeling the cold more and, because of needing to turn their heating on more often, this can potentially put them at risk of fuel poverty.

Clare added: “Jointly with Macmillan, we created the Fuel Management Prog-ramme to help people affected by cancer who are struggling to pay their energy bills.”

Part of the amount that’s raised from ‘10 for 10’ will go towards funding new Energy Advisors on the Macmillan Support Line. These advisors will support people affected by cancer who are struggling to pay their fuel bills and refer them to this programme, as well as other schemes.

For more information on the Fuel Management Programme, call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 0000.